Your witchy Magazine on astrology and all magical arts

NEWSLETTER

Benefits of Grounding & How To Do It…

Grounding is the process in which we maintain an appropriate amount of energy by releasing any excess energy and sending it back to the earth – a good analogy would be like your house dismissing excess electricity. Grounding is a necessary release of energy that accumulates from a variety of sources that you come in contact with through your daily activities.

Too many times I have put my own energy into a spell rather than use the energy of my surroundings and I have been left with fatigue, feeling “spaced out”, headaches and nosebleeds. This is my body protesting against the loss of energy. When I am accumulating too much energy I become light headed, clumsy and overly emotional.

How Energy Moves

The movement of energy from one place to another, and changing one state to another is all part of the Earth’s natural cycle, and as such grounding is a as natural as breathing. Grounding is much more than sending any unwanted or excess energy to the earth, it also allows you to tap into the Earth’s natural reserves of energy to aid you in the work you wish to do.

I have been part of conversations where others have believed that to take energy from the Earth is selfish, disrespectful and should be left well alone. I have also seen the other side of this argument where people have believed that drawing on the Earth’s energy stores is natural, and what you borrow from the earth is nominal compared to the boundless energy that lies deep within the Earth. My personal view is that we are part of the Earth, and it’s energy is part of me as much as it is part of the trees, grass and sky. I take what I need, release back whatever I no longer need. Everything in terms of energy always works itself out. You take a small amount to meet your needs, and when you have a little too much, you return some of your own.

What are the Benefits of Grounding?

1) We feel more relaxed both mentally and emotionally because when in an ungrounded state we can feel nervous, restless, stressed, irritable, anxiety and an inability to sleep.

2) We are more relaxed physically because when we are in an ungrounded state we can experience headaches, extremes in body temperature, physical pain, problems with the digestive system, sweating or experience breathing problems.

3) We are alert and able to concentrate better because when we are in an ungrounded state we can experience difficulty concentrating, or feel spacey.

4) We are more comfortable around others because when we are in an ungrounded state we can experience paranoia, hypersensitivity to those who drain energy. We are better able to deal with people with mental or emotional difficulties.

Grounding Techniques

There are many different techniques for grounding and if you asked ten people about what their preferred techniques are, you will probably get ten different responses. If you haven’t grounded yourself before it would be wise to try a few different techniques to see which work for you. No one is the same so we will all do things slightly differently, that doesn’t mean they are wrong. The energy that you draw from the Earth is always neutral regardless of the energy you put into it; the Earth always purifies the energy it is given. You don’t to actually be touching the Earth physically in order to ground your own energy, you can do it anywhere and at any time; day or night. You could be standing on top of the Eiffel Tower or be sat on a train going to work, all you need to do is think “down” and allow your energy to follow the direction of your thoughts. The old saying fits… “Where attention goes, energy flows.”

Easy Grounding Technique

When it comes to grounding it’s all about personal preference as everyone has their own comfort zones and methods they find effective. Here is one I have found both simple enough for beginners but still effective for veterans.

1) Find your center and center yourself.

2) Imagine there is a seed of pure light sitting at your energy center.

3) Visualise the seed sprouting a tendril of energy and allow that tendril to grow down and through your body. Sometimes the tendril will flow straight from the base chakra to the ground, or at other times the tendril will flow down your legs and into the ground.

4) Once the tendril has flowed into the ground visualise it growing and reaching further into the earth until you feel yourself connect to the earth’s energy system.

5) Once you feel yourself connect, visualise the tendril becoming a root system like a tree from your feet.

Some people actually find it easier to reach for the skies rather than the ground, and it is the same process as above, the only difference being the tendril flowing from your crown chakra up to the sky, still forming a root-type system reaching for the Sun and Moon. If you want to ensure extra stability you can do the process where you reach to the sky and into the ground so you can benefit from both, and it is quite hard to actually knock you off balance due to the dual connection.

Other Grounding Techniques

Physical Activity – during physical activities we are breathing deeply and allow our bodies to bend and stretch which engages our physical senses. Go for a walk around the block, take the dog for longer walks, or instead of taking your car to the car wash, do it yourself. Mow the lawn. Hang the washing out on the line instead of putting it in the dryer.

Physical Contact with the World Around Us – every day we are in constant contact with the world around us through our daily activities and routines. We are constantly touching, holding, or simply sitting, and to feel really grounded we can strive to really feel out contact with things around us. This can work wonders if you lay outside on the grass or sand for example. If you have a green thumb by handling the dirt, soil and plants creates a physical connection between you and the Earth. When I was a child I would spend hours playing in the garden and helping my granddad with his vegetable garden and even now I love the feeling of my hands and feet into soil. This kind of contact allows the excess energy flow back to the earth naturally. Any surplus energy can be discharged by passing through our feet while we are standing or sitting with feet flat on the floor.

Social Contact – go out shopping with a friend, talk about down-to-earth matters like film, music, your day to day life. By being expressive and animated in your conversations, your facial expressions and your physical gestures such as expressive hands. To increase the effects of grounding this way the more contact we have with them the better. Giving or receiving massages, dancing and making love are all fantastic ways of using social contact as a grounding technique.

Relaxing Our Bodies – we are able to discharge excess energies when we take a hot bath or do slow and controlled movement exercises such as Yoga, Tai-Chi or Pilates. All of these things are refined movements in a set way to promote healthy balance between the mind, body and spirit. They all have breathing techniques that accompany the physical movements.

Changing Our Diet – by becoming more aware of what we are consuming in our food and the effects it has on our energy and our ability to be balanced. Our energy may become unbalanced if we consume too much caffeine, sugar or processed foods. We can also become unbalanced if we choose a strict diet such as vegetarianism or becoming Vegan and don’t take into consideration all of the vital minerals that we need to make our minds and bodies to work healthily. To ground ourselves through diet we need to strive to being balance in to our diet by adding things to our diets, or to cut things out, or at least have less of.

Giving Back – sometimes an imbalance could be due to a lack of activity. The flow of energy to us was far greater than the energy you are sending out. To discharge that energy, we can give back though volunteering, donations of food, money, clothes to a charity. However, this must be done freely and with warmth and love; don’t do it just because it will balance you out, which is counter-productive.